“There is a school in St Neots, in our neighbouring county of Cambridgeshire, which has also organised its own crossing.

“There the council is only charging £4,000 a year, which puts our lot to shame.”

Essex County Council insists there is not enough traffic to justify a crossing, but parents say huge lorries going to and from a business park make the road “very dangerous”.

They and the school’s governors decided to raise funds to open a crossing themselves. At first they were told a crossing patrol might cost £18,000. “We reckoned we could make that figure,” said Sarah, “but then a new councillor announced that it would cost us £46,842 to set up and £8,342 a year to run.”

It is utterly ridiculous

Sarah Case

Council officials say it would cost £15,000 for “infrastructure”, namely flashing warning signs, fixed signs, yellow lines on the road and adjustments to the pavement, barriers or road layout. It then factored in a further £15,000 for taking it all away if parents stopped paying for the crossing.

First, however, they wanted a safety audit. This would include a review of speed, traffic, footfall and accident data and cost £2,000. Next, they estimated £3,000 in recruitment costs, although the local newspaper charges just £599 for a typical school advertisement, leaving just a Criminal Records Bureau check, which costs up to £44.

Then there’s £150 for a uniform, £200 training, £500 expenses and £4,500 redundancy costs, along with unspecified annual management costs of more than £2,500.

Councillor Derrick Louis said: “While I sympathise with parents regarding the costs, they represent the true financial commitment required for this type of activity.”